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too much milk? baby vomiting

My 2 1/2 week old has been vomiting once a day and can go two days without vomiting. He has been gaining weight, so I think it is because i produce too much milk. Today, my pediatrician said to try and bottlefeed, but i am depressed about this. How can i reduce my milk? I have noticed that he has only vomited after feeding from my left breast. When he feeds, he is restless and agitated, and sometimes chokes. I have tried to elevate him so that he is working against gravity, but no avail. Tonight, i don't know what to do? I pumped today, and he only drank 2-2 1/2 oz. when I pumped, i got 3-4 oz from each breast!

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

Hi, when you say that Lo is vomiting, do you mean emptying all of the stomach or just lots of spitup? As a mom to a baby with reflux, I deal with loads of spit up during and after EVERY feeding. I am surprised that your PEd suggested bottlefeeding. Bottles let them take in more air and therfore encourage MORE spitup. Also, if your babe is only doing it once a day or even just every other day, it doesn't sound that bad. Especially if Lo is gaining weight. Have you tried feeding on just one side at every feeding? If you have an over supply this may help your supply calm down a little. The more you pump until your breast is empty....the more your brain will tell your body to make that much. Also, if los poops are normal and not green, it would sound like he's taking in the right stuff and not too much foremilk. Try not to be too worried about large amounts of spitup....it usually looks like more than it really is. Also, my lo has to burp in the middle of a feed because she tends to gulp air a lot. I know spit up can be scary when they are little, but breastfeeding is probably best for him if he is gaining well. If it continues and youare concerned, talk to your Ped about the possiblity of reflux. My Lo is on medicine for the discomfort but it doesn't reduce the spitup unfortunatetly. Hang in there !!!

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

My ped said to feed from one breast for twice a feeding, about two hours between. Last night i did this, and my left b was so engorged that when he started feeding the milk was squirting out at him. will this eventually slow down if it keep this up? Also, my Husband wants to feed him at night, if i pump then, should i just pump to get the 2 oz and not pump until 4 oz comes out?

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

Maybe at the times when the left breast feels engorged, pump just enough for the nighttime bottle. Eventually your breasts will adapt to the change in demand. It's great that you have an abundance of milk....I've always struggled to keep my supply high enough for my big babies.
You could also pump and freeze an occasional bottle for when you have to go out. I use the lanosoh (spelling?) milk bags....they do great with the double seal close.

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

The info from the link in Jolie's reply is great. My DS was choking, spitting up, fighting at the breast during every feeding. My milk also sprayed everywhere when he would pull off the breast. Reading that info helped me to know that what we were experiencing was not uncommon & it was probably oversupply. There are several things you can do to help control it like block-nursing (explained in the link). what worked best for me was side-lying nursing. The extra milk can just dribble out of their mouth (and you can REST too ). Also, when I notice DS starting to choke or have a hard time keeping up the swallowing & breathing, I pull him off the breast and usually milk is going everywhere so I know there's too much, I just put a burp cloth there & catch it until the flow slows down & then put him back on. That works pretty good too. Feeding him before he gets too worked up & crying helps alot too---he doesn't get as frustrated w/the overflow if he's calm. I've started feeding him as soon as I notice he's rooting around or making sucking motions. If he's not really hungry yet, he won't stay there long.
HOpe this helps and keep up the good work. You are doing great. Keep posting and let us know when things get better, because they will.
Dawn

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

thanks for the advice, i am trying the block feeding. my leftb gets very engorged (this is the one that he hates feeding at). But I would still like to pump one bottle for my DH to give at night. How can i do this without making my supply increase? If i pump only 2 oz out, then isn't that just the foremilk? Has anyone ever just fed from one side and pumped the other?

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

I nursed on one side and pumped the other, not to make a bottle for someone to give, but because I literally had enough milk to feed three babies plus a strong overactive letdown, and I had a super-sore nipple. So for several days, I nursed on my left, pumped my right (getting 8+ oz every time!) and let the nipple heal. Once the baby was a bit older and better at nursing, I was able to nurse both sides and stopped pumping. There were a few days where I would fill up, but it evened out. I do recall it was tough until about 8 weeks, and then he seemed to be able to manage my huge supply and the fast, hard letdown.

I always started with the breast I had last nursed on, and if it had been more than an hour and a half (he ate every hour!) I pumped or hand-expressed to get the worst of the overactive letdown out so he wouldn't choke, pull off and cry and refuse to nurse again. Side-lying was also very helpful.

You will eventually be grateful for having a lot of milk. I was able to feed my baby in about 5 minutes and return to what I was doing while my friends were still nursing 20 minutes later It does slow down, and the baby learns to manage a firehose supply . Around 10-11 months, I was able to retire the nursing pads as my supply evened out. Just hang in there.

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

I have been block feeding for three days and things are getting better. Not much engorgement and my little one is managing things better. Any suggestions on when to pump? I want my DH to give a night time bottle, (i am feeding every 2hrs-need some sleep). I am feeding from the same breast two feedings in a row, should i pump the other breast when i start the next breast? Also, do i pump until no more milk comes out or will that cause my oversupply to start again?

Re: too much milk? baby vomiting

my dd also choked, fussed, cried, gagged, at the breast for a couple months and would occasionally vomit up all the breastmilk. i made way too much milk. however, i perservered with breastfeeding and she eventually learned to cope with the supply.